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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26546722">I Didn't Really Mean It (But Rumours Spiral)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/HMA64/pseuds/HMA64'>HMA64</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Normal Is Boring and Subjective. [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Six - Marlow/Moss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Family Feels, Hurt/Comfort</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:42:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,360</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26546722</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/HMA64/pseuds/HMA64</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour and Katherine Howard are a trio not to be fucked with. Things may have been tense when they first came back, but as soon as Anne and Jane had worked through their past, the three of them became unstoppable. Which was why Jane and Kitty were so concerned that Anne had started acting...off with the two of them ever since they started doing the show.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Normal Is Boring and Subjective. [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1881718</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>104</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I Didn't Really Mean It (But Rumours Spiral)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Had this idea at like, 4 pm and immediately started fic writing. Enjoy! (Also...I'm sorry?)</p><p>Also, minor tw for referenced self-injury during a panic attack and reference to accusation of incest (in the context of Anne's charges)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour and Katherine Howard are a trio that should not be messed with. They constantly act more like sisters than cousins and, even though things were tense when they first came back to life, they'd become extremely close even before the idea for the show had entered any of the Queens' minds. </p><p>However, when they'd first started performing, the only people who knew that were the other Queens and the Ladies. </p><p>This was because, for the entirety of the first month of publicity and first 2 months that the show was running, Anne showed basically no affection towards Jane or Kitty in public. She wouldn't take pictures with just one or both of them, she wouldn't do lives with only them (even when they'd invite her onto lives that the two of them were doing, Anne would pop in for a few minutes, then make her excuses and leave.) She wouldn't even dance with them during the Megasix. And, of course, there was the way the three of them acted during the show.</p><p>When they'd been writing it, Anne had suggested that she and Jane have a bit of a rivalry going, and the third Queen had immediately jumped onto the idea. Kitty had already her roast of the other Queens when Anne had suggested the little discussion between her and Aragon right before Kit's introduction, which Kitty had thought sounded hilarious.  </p><hr/><p>When it first starts happening, no one really notices that much. Sure, Jane was a little worried that she'd done something to upset Anne, but after every interview, Anne gives Kitty and Jane hugs and laughs with them about the silly questions they get and once they actually start doing the show, she tackle-hugs them after every performance. Because of this, everyone kind of puts it down to Anne just being nervous or awkward.</p><p>And then it keeps happening. </p><p>She starts delivering some of her lines ("Everyone notices that Jane can't dance?" "Who's [Kitty] again?...I still don't care.") with more venom than sass. She doesn't leave comments on her cousins' pictures on Instagram or respond to their tweets. And it gets progressively harder to pass it off as 'maybe Anne's just awkward being affectionate in public' because Anne will hug Catalina at Stage Door, or do lives with Anna pre-show and she definitely isn't shy to kiss Cathy, or dance with her during the Megasix once the two of them finally get together. </p><p>It's just Jane and Kitty. </p><p>But as soon as it's just the Queens and Ladies, Anne goes back to being Anne, messing with Jane's hair and cuddling with Kitty on the couch. </p><hr/><p>"I just don't get it." Said Jane one night, while she was curled up on the sofa with Catalina, "She's totally fine with you guys around the fans and everything, but she avoids me and Kitty like the plague until we're in the dressing room, or until we get home." She let out a frustrated sigh and Catalina tightened her arms around her, "Clearly she isn't mad at us or anything, but this is so weird, right?" Jane turned her head slightly to look at her girlfriend. Catalina looked thoughtful for a moment.</p><p>"Have you tried talking to her about it?" Jane nodded.</p><p>"Anne is the master of avoiding questions she doesn't want to answer."</p><p>Catalina hummed in agreement. "Maybe one of you could post a picture of the three of you? Maybe Anne's just worried about how you two would feel." She shrugged, clearly out of ideas, "I don't know what to tell you, love, it's Anne. You know as well as I do that trying to figure out what's going on in her head is borderline impossible." </p><p>"True, I just...I'm worried. There <em>has</em> to be more to this Lina, I know it." </p><hr/><p>Kitty and Jane exchanged a concerned look as they headed back to the dressing rooms. Anne had really played up her lines mocking Jane today, and both her cousins had seen how sad she looked as soon as she'd said her lines. Kitty had noticed how Anne had sounded more upset and worked up during Don't Lose Ur Head too, though the crowd seemed to have loved it. She'd stuck close to Cathy and Anna during the Megasix and hadn't so much as looked at her cousins unless it was to say lines, all night. </p><p>Anne practically bounced into the dressing room as Kitty was undoing her ponytail. She smiled and wrapped her arms around the fifth Queen. Kitty gave Jane another concerned look over Anne's shoulder before slowly responding to her hug, tightly squeezing Anne back. </p><p>"You alright Annie?" Asked Jane, putting down the make-up wipes she's been using and walking over, placing her hand on one of Anne's shoulders. Anne jumped slightly and turned to look at Jane. For a few seconds, they both saw the happy look on Anne's face fall, before the green Queen quickly forced the smile back into place. </p><p>"I'm fine Janey! Bit tired, kind of thinking we need to make this skirt bounce less but otherwise totally fine!" She chuckled at her own words and wrapped an arm around each of her cousins' shoulders. "Reckon I can convince Aragon to get takeout tonight if Anna and I pay for it? We were talking about it before the show and now all I can think about is-"</p><p>"Why do you keep ignoring us in public?" Blurted out Kitty. Anne tensed up between them and Jane shot Kitty a look. </p><p>"What'd you mean Kit?" Asked Anne, trying to hide her anxiety. Jane tried to take her hands, but Anne just backed towards the door.</p><p>"Anne, it's okay." Said Jane, gently.</p><p>"We're just worried." Added Kitty, taking a step closer to the second Queen. Anne took an immediate step back.</p><p>"I-I'm gonna change in Cathy's dressing room." She said quickly, before darting out of the room faster than the other two could stop her. Anna walked into the room a few moments later.</p><p>"Any reason I just saw Anne booking it?"</p><p>Jane sighed and ran through her hair as Kitty made a frustrated noise and threw her hands in the air.</p><p>"That's what we want to know!"</p><hr/><p>When they got home, Anne ran straight to her room and closed the door. Jane and Kitty had planned to try and talk to her again at dinner, only she didn't come down. They sent Cathy up with a plate of food, figuring that out of all of them, Anne was most likely to let her in, but the sixth Queen returned a few minutes later with a still full plate and a look of defeat. Kitty stood and headed up to Anne's room then, with Jane not far behind.</p><p>"What us to come too?" Asked Anna, already standing up. Jane shook her head.</p><p>"We've got this." </p><hr/><p>Kitty was already knocking on Anne's door by the time Jane reached the top of the stairs. </p><p>"Annie?" Called Kitty, "Please open the door. It's just me and Jane, no one else just...just please talk to us?" She shot Jane a helpless sort of look as the older woman approached the door. The sound of crying was audible. Jane put a hand on Kitty’s shoulder.</p><p>"Annie...please, we just want to help. You're clearly not okay in there so <em>at least</em> let us in to keep you company?" Said Jane, pleadingly.</p><p>For a few moments, there was no response.  Then, a tearful "It's open."</p><p>Kitty pushed open the door and the two of them made a beeline for the Anne-shaped ball on the floor by the window. The lights were off, so the room was almost completely dark, except for the light from the window. Anne was sitting under the sill, knees to her chest, head in her hands, rocking slowly. Her choker was sitting on the bedside table and even in the low light, Jane and Kitty could see faint red scratches on her neck.</p><p>Jane sat down in front of Anne, reaching one hand out to rest on her leg. Kitty sat down on Anne's right and immediately started whispering to her. Anne looked between them briefly, before her expression totally broke and she moved so that she was curled into Jane's front, Kitty’s arm around her shoulder as she began to sob. Jane pulled Anne closer, reaching one arm up to wrap around Kitty and the three of them stayed there for a while, huddled together.</p><p>It takes them a solid 15 minutes to get Anne off the floor and into bed. Jane sits with her back against the pillows, Anne curled into her side and Kitty laying with her head in Anne’s lap and most of her body on Jane.</p><p>" 'm sorry." Comes Anne’s after a while. Two sets of eyes immediately look to her. "I didn't really mean it, any of it."</p><p>"The stuff you say in the show?" Asked Kitty, moving slightly to look at Anne's face better, "We know that Anne-"</p><p>"A-and I don't mean to ignore you either! I'm not m-mad or upset or...or anything like that! I promise!" Both Jane and Kitty felt a little helpless as Anne began to sound more desperate. Jane gently shushed her and tightened her hug, while Kitty reached up and took her hand.</p><p>"Annie, we know you don't mean it." Said Jane, softly, "We're just worried about why. It's only me and Kit that you do it with, so clearly it's not that you're worried about being cuddly or close in front of fans <em>in general</em>. Just with us."</p><p>"And neither of us is mad." Added Kitty, "We just know that there has to be something going on that you're not telling us."</p><p>"I don't want it to happen again." Said Anne, quietly.</p><p>Jane gently ran her fingers through dark hair, "Don't want what to happen again, sweetheart?" </p><p>"G-George." Whispered Anne. At the confused look that both Queens gave her, she sighed. "Last time...last time I was close to someone from my family, publicly close with them, they...they accused me of..." A lump seemed to form in her throat then, and the next sound out of her mouth was a choked sort of sob. "I was already w-worried people were gonna...then all of us c-came out and suddenly it felt even more like people would-" Another sob and Jane felt Anne death grip onto her shirt, "I'm so sorry! I just-I couldn't handle the rumours again! 'Specially not when-when last time I...George." </p><p>Anne totally dissolved into tears then, choking out apologies where she could and burrowing herself into Jane. </p><p>Jane and Kitty looked at each other for a moment, both confused and concerned before the realisation dawned on Jane's face. Kitty watched as the colour drained out of her eldest cousin's face and her eyes widened.</p><p>"What?" She asked quietly, squeezing Anne's hand tightly as she looked at Jane. "Jane, what's she talking about?"</p><p>"George." Breathed Jane, "Oh God, Anne...I'm so sorry."  At Kitty's still very confused expression, Jane sighed, "Everyone knew how close Anne and George were. Anyone with eyes could see they loved the bones of each other. They got along better than basically anyone in the court. So when Henry made up his bullshit accusations..." She hissed the last part and her grip on Anne increased as the green Queen let out another muffled sob, "It didn't take much to get people to believe a specific charge was genuine." </p><p>It still took Kitty a couple of seconds, she mentally had to run down the list of Anne's charges before it finally hit her with the force of a thousand suns.</p><p><em>Incest. </em>Anne had been charged with incest. She'd been executed on that charge...her <em>brother</em> had been executed on that charge. People had actually believed...?</p><p>"Oh, Annie." Muttered Kitty, pulling herself up to hug Anne from behind. "That's..." She sighed, unable to find the words, "That's so fucked up." </p><p>"Anne," Said Jane, stern but not unkind, "That wasn't your fault. You <em>know</em> that wasn't your fault. Right?" Anne just whimpered and buried her face further into Jane's neck. "Annie-"</p><p>"I don't want it to happen again." Repeated Anne, with more force than before, "And I-I thought that as long as people think I don't get along with you guys, the less chance that they'd start rumours."</p><p>"Anne, it isn't like last time." Said Kitty, "No one would think that, okay? We're family, of course, we're gonna be close. Hell, you and me might be the only people who can describe the feeling of a sharp implement to the neck, who wouldn't bond over that?" That got a tearful laugh from the second Queen. Jane allowed herself a small smile.</p><p>"What happened to George was not your fault. Henry knew it was total bullshit and you know as well as I do that anything he said in that court was taken as true, regardless of anything to the contrary." Jane placed a hand under Anne's chin and lifted it so Anne was looking at her, "There was nothing you could have done. Being openly close with me and Kit is not going to start those rumors again and even if it did, give me five minutes and they'd sharp stop." Another tearful laugh from Anne, and a full one from Kitty at that. </p><p>"I really am sorry." Said Anne, quietly. Kitty snuggled in closer to her and Jane moved so that all three of them were lying down.</p><p>"Nothing to be sorry for." Said Kitty, stifling a yawn. </p><p>"Yeah, we know you didn't mean it. I'm just glad you're alright." Jane reassured with a smile.</p><hr/><p>Half an hour later, Catalina, Anna and Cathy went up to check on the cousins, and none of them could hide their smiles as they walked into Anne's room, to find the three of them curled up together, fast asleep. Anna made a mental note to keep some left overs for Anne, while Catalina quietly ushered the other two out, though not before Cathy snapped a picture.</p><p>Anne posted it to her own account the next day.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you liked it!<br/>In case it wasn't obvious, the headcanon that came to mind was "Anne is super worried that people, knowing the charge involving her and her brother, will assume the same of her and her cousins if she publicly shows how close she is to them (especially since it was her closeness with George that made the original charge so 'believable') so she distances herself from Jane and Kitty as much as possible in public."</p></blockquote></div></div>
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